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Curious Residents Remove Stickers and Redeem Them for Shampoo Samples

A media agency's primary task is to choose a channel for an ad that will merge seamlessly with the message being conveyed. This campaign from Zenithmedia was chosen as a Cream Idea of the Week because it not only achieved that feat but did it on a wide scale.
Ads appeared at 150 busy bus stops near points of sale throughout Singapore, and easy-peel stickers were placed over the dark hair of a model on the posters to simulate dandruff flakes.
Head & Shoulders had been inactive in Singapore for two years but wanted to bring to life its ability to "take off five signs of dandruff." This core message was first delivered through TV spots, but in order to hit the highly mobile 20- to 39-year-old target audience, outdoor played a key role.

Large poster ads were placed on 150 busy bus stops near points of sale throughout Singapore, and easy-peel stickers -- which can be easily removed even after they're initially put on a surface -- were placed over the dark hair of a model on the posters to simulate dandruff flakes. In total, more than 5,000 stickers were used in the campaign.

On the front of each sticker was the message "Take it off" and on the back was a promotional offer for free shampoo samples as well as information about the five signs of dandruff.

The stickers were quickly removed by curious members of the public, and within days almost 80% had been removed, leaving the posters showing a model who had shiny, dandruff-free hair.

More than 4,000 people turned up at a redemption booth set up by H&S to claim the samples, and volume share for the company rose by 50%.

Other media included radio and TV, and the "Take it off" sticker also appeared on the front cover of tabloid Today.

~~~Cream is a U.K.-based magazine owned by C Squared Communications aimed at highlighting the best in creative media worldwide. All media ideas are part of C Squared's Creative Media Database. csquared.cc